Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Blakesburg, Iowa Reunion

Here are some random photos of the Blakesburg High reunion that was held during the weekend of June 28, 2014. Blakesburg, Iowa doesn't have a high school any more, but there are still plenty of graduates who come back to celebrate every year.

I haven't edited these, though I would if I were going to use them somewhere else. Lighting conditions were not the best for the indoor shots. They are all raw shots taken that weekend. I only removed a couple due to redundancy, otherwise, this is what was taken. The event was held at Brooklyn's Steakhouse in Blakesburg, with a lunch the following morning at the local community center. There also are a few shots from the surrounding area.

The weekend was a piece of pure Americana. You would meet someone who would casually mention that they were were 70, then point across the room and add, "And my mom is over there." There were lots of classic picnic baskets at the lunch the next morning like you see in pictures of Little Red Riding Hood.

I'm not going to give names except in a couple of cases. Everybody interested should know who everyone is, and others don't need to know.

The general scene. It was a scene, man.

This has kind of an artsy look that I like

It was a dark and rainy night....

Prayers were led by Harold Eugene Johnson, in the white shirt seated in the middle. I am told that he was a POW for years during Vietnam, now a Minister. He was lost in a F105F on April 30, 1967 after flying 93 missions for the 357th TFS, then incarcerated until the general prisoner release in March 1973. Born in Blakesburg.

The Presbyterian Church has been there for about 150 years.

The corn in Iowa is about twice as high as in Colorado

There's a butterfly wandering around, thus the three shots. See if you can spot him.

The flags were at half-mast that day for some reason

Hard to see, but that's an old windmill support out in the field. That whole area used to be cleared and farmed back in the day, but no longer.

These are pictures of Wellman School, an old one-room Iowa schoolhouse. Gerald White, busy holding up that light pole, attended it in the mid-1930s.

These shots are of the Copperhead School four miles further down the road

Some of the scenes look like they came out of a Van Gogh painting

This is Wilma Arnold and her car. Wilma will be 100 in October, the car will be 35.

All of these shots were from 214. For shots from 2013, see the following: